Ino's Secret Kissing Jutsu
by Astra M
Summary: Is it possible for a normal teenage ninja in love to combine business with pleasure? Ino thinks she knows how to do it provided she can just get Shikamaru to play along. Mini sequel of sorts to Butt Out! :Shikamaru x Ino:
1. Mission Objectives

**Naruto Fanfic – "Ino's Secret Kissing Jutsu"**

_Written December 2007 by Astra M._

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Author's Note: While I've been beating my brains out over "Bittersweet Sixteen," I've been resorting to revisiting old material for stress relief. So I began working on this 'extra' as purely gratuitous fun. It's really more of an overly long one-shot than a true multific story, but I had to break it up (sometimes awkwardly) for readability. _

_This takes place after the events in "Butt Out!" but it is not necessary to have read that story first. The rating is T. And the term 'kissing jutsu' is duly credited to Persepolis130 and her wonderfully silly fanfic "Operation: Genin Dance." _

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**_Part One - Mission Objectives_**

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* * *

This is so tedious_, thought Ino as she peered through the dense foliage that hid her. She broke her vigil to glance over at the dark haired young man who was crouching silently next to her, his attention wholly absorbed on analyzing the scene in front of them. Impulsively, her eyes began to move over the taut jaw line until they came to rest on the firm mouth, and a faint shiver swept through her. _I wish I could be doing something else a lot more... interesting._

Unknowingly, she sighed.

"What is it?" murmured Shikamaru as he shifted next to her, bringing that mouth within inches of her own. Ino's lids fluttered at the sensation of his warm breath tickling her ear. She wet her lips unthinkingly, imagining his moving heatedly across her skin, and a familiar yearning started to build up inside. What would it hurt, really, to steal a little kiss from him right now...?

_Get a grip, girl! You're in the middle of a mission, for Heaven's sakes!_

Ino pursed her lips in a silent pout. "It's... nothing," she whispered, lifting her eyes upward. She thought this would be less distracting, but instead found dark, penetrating eyes holding hers. Unexpectedly, Shikamaru slowly dipped his gaze downward until he came to linger on her mouth, and another tremor passed through Ino as she melted under the heated glow she saw sparking from within him. An imperceptible, electric current suddenly erupted between them, leaving Ino breathlessly longing to follow its pull until her tongue was once more helplessly entwined in his...

Shikamaru grunted softly and abruptly shifted away. He returned to his quiet stake out, his demeanor again perfectly calm and unruffled, leaving Ino feeling both bereft and frustrated. _How_ did he do that? How was he able to bring her blood to a near boil, haplessly responding to the silent fire in his own, and in the next minute return to being such a seemingly unaffected cold fish?

_No fair, Shikamaru!_

Agitated, Ino again tried to focus her attention on the job at hand, but it was useless. Her concentration was thoroughly shot. This was poor discipline on her part, Ino knew, as well as atypically careless: the kind of behavior that could ruin a mission or get someone killed. And _she_ especially couldn't afford to be stupid - they were on a spying mission, after all, against a suspected informant operating inside the Land of Grass - it was vital she keep her wits sharp so deep in enemy territory. Even now they were staked out across from a seedy establishment on the outskirts of a large town, waiting for their target to make contact with a local arms merchant named Gaijo. When the opportunity came, Ino would strike with her _Shintenshin no Jutsu_ and they would glean what knowledge they could from the unwitting men's meeting. If all went well there would be minimal risk to the team, according to Shikamaru's plan: they would be back in Konoha within the week. So it all came down to how Ino played her part... and for that, she had to keep her mind _on task_.

Her brain understood all this. But her body, it seemed, had other ideas.

_I just can't help it_, fretted Ino as she fought the urge to abandon pretense and just mope over Shikamaru. It had been a week since she last felt his lips on hers, and longer since she had felt their ardent massage elsewhere. She suppressed a moan, feeling a dull ache stir within at the memory of their last private session together. Shikamaru had been in fine form that afternoon, and Ino realized now that it was because he already knew about this mission. Since they had left Konoha, he hadn't laid so much as a finger on her. While she knew that this was done to conceal their relationship from the others, Ino still found Shikamaru's behavior both aggravating and bitterly ironic. Teenage boy or not, maybe he was really some sort of sexual camel, able to store up their lovemaking like water and draw on it at leisure. But Ino knew she wasn't the same. She needed his _touch_, not the mere memory of it...

Shikamaru shifted again, clucking his tongue in irritation.

"This is turning into a complete waste of time," he muttered, pulling himself further away. Ino was surprised at the tone of Shikamaru's voice: he sounded unusually surly and impatient, more like his old _genin_ self. She watched as he jerked himself off the ground and into a sitting position, and ran a thumb exasperatedly across his brow. "I knew we were taking a risk by not intercepting the target earlier. If we tried to grab him before he came here, it could be troublesome for you to bluff your way into Gaijo's circle, and your jutsu might not last long enough to learn anything. But Gaijo's men have him so well guarded... I'm afraid we may have lost the chance to do this from a discreet distance." Shikamaru broke off, his forehead creasing in frustration, and Ino had the impression that he was angry with himself. "If we're going to pull this off, we need to get physically closer to him. There's nothing else for it," he said flatly. "But how the hell are we supposed to do that now without tipping them off?"

While Shikamaru fell into silent contemplation, Ino sighed again. _We need to get physically closer._ Here was yet more bitter irony she could do without. What did she care about drawing nearer to some shady, slovenly middle-aged man when the one she wanted to throw herself at right now was _him_? Ino couldn't help feeling a stab of resentment at her life's chosen path just then. It would be so nice, every once in a while, to forget that she was a proud _kunoichi_ of the Hidden Leaf, just to be able to act like a normal teenage girl and -

An idea suddenly popped into her mind, causing Ino to let out a gasp of delight. Shikamaru looked over at her questioningly, lifting a brow even further when he saw the impish smile that had spread across her face.

"Listen, Shikamaru... I know how we can do it."


	2. Preparations

_**Part Two - Preparations**  
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"I'm still not so sure about this idea of yours, Ino. And why did you pull me in here?"

"Relax, Shikamaru. Everything will work out fine. And we're stopping here for a minute because we have to make a few small adjustments first..."

They were standing within a small copse of trees, using the privacy to mask their final preparations. Somewhere nearby Choji and his partner were concealing themselves in the trees she and Shikamaru had previously inhabited; after a quick consultation they had been assigned to provide support should things go awry and rapid extrication became necessary. Ino was glad for this turn of events. Quite apart from having the assurance of knowing Choji had their backs, it was a relief not to be under his direct scrutiny for the actual execution of her plan. Mission or no, she highly doubted Shikamaru would be cooperative if they were forced to perform before such a familiar audience. It was hard enough simply convincing him to go along with the first part.

And she hadn't yet filled him in on the rest.

This thought in mind, Ino determinedly placed her hands on her hips and swiftly sized up her _jutsu_ partner. Shikamaru was watching her warily, his mouth pulled back into a full blown pout. She scowled, reading the signs: he was about to start acting mulishly.

"What do you mean by '_adjustments_'?" he asked a moment later, confirming Ino's suspicions. "What exactly do we need to adjust? Hey, is there something you -?"

"Don't look at me like that!" she said sharply, cutting across him. "It's all right; this is simply part of the plan. Now take off that vest."

"Huh?" Shikamaru paused mid-gripe, looking at her strangely. Then he narrowed his eyes. "What for?"

"Oh _honestly_," snapped Ino, resisting the old urge to stamp her foot. "Listen, this is all part of our preparations, okay? So just take it off!"

"Actually, I'd rather not. I feel naked without it," he insisted stubbornly.

"You _can't_ wear it inside, Shikamaru - you know it identifies us with the Leaf!" Before he could protest any further, Ino took matters into her own hands by stepping forward and grabbing hold of the vest. With a well-practiced tug, she slid the offending material off, in the process taking along the headband he wore around his arm. "This too," she added, expertly slapping his hands away as she seized the underlying black shirt and pulled it up over his torso. Stripped clothing in hand, she stood back to survey him once more, ignoring the distinctly ruffled expression on his face.

"All right, that's much better," said Ino approvingly. Then her eyes fell on his thigh holster. "But you're leaving the trench knives behind, too."

"Yeah, right. I don't think so."

"Why not? It'll look dumb if you leave them on!"

"_No_," answered Shikamaru, his voice edged with a finality that told Ino he wouldn't budge on this. "Ino, whatever attempt at disguise you think this is, we're about to enter a place full of lowlife criminals who will slit our throats in a second if they catch us. No way are we going in there without these."

Ino sighed, acceding the point. "_Fine_. In that case..."

Before Shikamaru knew what was happening, Ino reached up and undid the tie holding up his ponytail. In a moment he saw black hair swinging freely around his eyes.

"Great. And _this_ doesn't look dumb," complained Shikamaru as he attempted to brush the bangs back. He hated having it hang in his face. "_Tch_. Why'd you do that for?"

"Need I remind you that your face is already in the bingo books?" said Ino quietly, fighting off the cold chill that spiked inside her at this recent discovery. "We're not going to help anyone in there identify you, got it? Besides... it completes the image."

Shikamaru groaned, but said nothing more and Ino smirked at having managed to prevail. She knew he disliked letting his hair loose, but she secretly loved the way it made him look. Somehow it felt like the way she treated her own hair: she only let it down for special occasions - particularly those involving _him_.

Ino stepped back to appraise him once more. Shikamaru stood with his arms crossed angrily, clad only the mesh top and black pants, one baleful eye glaring back at her through the curtain of unkempt hair. Ino was pleased at the overall effect: he was the typical portrait of a pissed-off teenage boy. She broke into a grin.

_Perfect!_

Shikamaru's frown increased at the expression on Ino's face. "Dare I ask what 'image' you're aiming for?" he muttered.

It was all Ino could do not to giggle: Shikamaru wouldn't take it well, and she needed to keep him in relatively good humor just then. So she batted her eyes innocently as she began to remove the mesh guards from her limbs. "Well, you need to look the part if we're going to successfully infiltrate that inn without looking out of place."

"I thought the plan was to act like two regular travelers simply stopping for a quick break," said Shikamaru, his eyes widening in alarm. "And just what the _hell_ are you doing now?"

Ignoring him, Ino stepped out of her shorts and pulled the skirt around so that the slits fell over her thighs. Then she began adjusting the zipper on the front of her blouse. "Don't be silly, Shikamaru. If we did that, they'd be watching us like hawks from the moment we walked through the door. Like I said, we need to fit in." Letting go of the zipper, she reached up and began untying her hair. "And the only way we can do that realistically is if _you_ go in there acting like some young badass out to prove his toughness..." Ino paused to shake out her hair, and then she flashed him a serene smile. "... while _I_ am going to play the part of his sexy, adoring girlfriend."

Shikamaru's mouth fell open slightly as his gaze dropped automatically to focus on the lush mounds that now peeked out at him. His cheeks reddened as he deliberately tore his eyes away.

"Damn it, Ino..." he whispered hoarsely.

Excitement rushed through Ino's blood at the sight of his face. She had always wanted to walk openly into some public place with Shikamaru on her arm, but the thorny issue of keeping their relationship a secret was ever paramount. Ino couldn't help feeling that he was sometimes too strict on that point - what was wrong with a little innocent hand-holding? - but Shikamaru was such a cautious person. It was such a contradiction, that he could be so reserved in public and yet so demonstrative in private. But now, at last, she'd finally found a way around his unyielding stance.

Yet just as Ino was feeling secure about the victory within her grasp, she heard Shikamaru clearing his throat - an ominous sound she had learned meant that he was about to deliver some dire announcement. Heart beating anxiously, she noticed that he had turned his back to her.

"This is a _bad_ idea, Ino," Shikamaru told her flatly as he shoved his hands inside his pockets. "Drop it, 'cause it's not gonna work."

"But... why?" Ino looked at him bewilderedly. "Why _shouldn't_ it work? Shikamaru, they'll be on guard for any outsider approaching them today, no matter what they look like - but no one will think twice about two stupid, show-off teenagers! So what's the big deal with that?"

Shikamaru glanced back over his shoulder, but only briefly before looking elsewhere again. "So maybe I'm starting to have second thoughts," he muttered. "When I think about it, there are other ways we could still do this. And a lot more inconspicuously besides..."

"_Inconspicuously_?" repeated Ino, feeling a prickle of hurt annoyance mixed with disappointment shoot through her. Why was he being so stubborn about doing something like this with her? She thought he would have leapt at the chance for this kind of opportunity - Heaven knew how badly she was aching for it herself. "Why do we have to worry about that? No one around here knows who we are. Besides, you know the plan makes complete sense for the situation - _and_ we'll be far less 'conspicuous' than you think." Ino abruptly turned away, cradling her arms protectively. Then before she could help it, she heard herself giving voice to a hidden fear she was loathe to admit. "Or... is it really because you have a problem being seen with me in public?"

She heard movement, and then she felt Shikamaru's grip on her shoulders as he pulled her around to face him. He was upset. "That's not fair, Ino. You know that's not the reason why we have to be discreet."

But Ino merely closed her eyes, not wanting to hear his perfectly rational arguments for their secret relationship. Instead she found herself swooning at the feel of his hands on her at long last. Pushing aside her sadness, Ino instinctively pressed herself up against his chest, relaxing in the comforting steadiness of his arms. "But there's no one around now, Shikamaru," she whispered. "Can't you just... bend a little?"

Ino felt his body stiffen. "We're still on a mission," Shikamaru replied thickly. "We can't just act however we want."

Maybe it was something in his tone. Or perhaps it was the sound of his heartbeat thumping loudly next to her ear. As Ino pulled away from Shikamaru, the lonely confusion she had been experiencing was replaced by that strange cool-headed state she often entered into while observing a heated battle. Gazing steadily into his eyes, she instantly sized up the situation, knowing what she had to do to win.

"It's true - this _is_ a mission. We're trained ninja, and we can't lose sight of that fact... no matter what else we're feeling. I guess you're right about that."

For several seconds they faced each other silently, each gauging the other more as opponent than comrade. "... I'm glad you see it my way," Shikamaru finally answered carefully.

"Yes, I _do_." Ino thrust out her chin defiantly, her voice reverting to its old bossy _genin_ authority. "Therefore, your objections are totally pointless, Nara. We're going to proceed with my plan. Now get ready to go!"

"Hold on a minute!" retorted Shikamaru sharply. "You're not the team leader, Ino - _I_ am! And we're not about to -"

"_You_ are a strategist," continued Ino, talking loudly over him. "Already widely known as one of the best in Konoha. And you need accurate information to do your job well. Isn't that why you accepted this job when the Hokage asked for volunteers? It's vital that you find out what's been passed on to Gaijo, so you can know how best to defend the village against anything he might try to do. Failure of this objective isn't an option... correct?"

But Shikamaru refused to answer, choosing instead to glare back at her with a stoney face. Ino pressed on ruthlessly:

"And _I_ am a spy, someone fully capable of gathering that information for you, which is specifically why you brought me along on this mission. Moreover, as a descendent from a family of spies, I've been trained all my life for this kind of thing - and you also know that _my_ instincts for these situations are even better than yours."

Shikamaru scowled darkly. "I disagree."

Ino felt her temper rising, but she pushed on. "So seeing how this is fundamentally a spy mission, and how I'm the only one here who is capable of accomplishing this with a reasonable chance of success, I'm going into that bar now - with or without you!"

"_Like hell you will, Yamanaka!_"

In spite of herself, Ino raised her brows in alarm: Shikamaru rarely sounded so commanding with her. He had also closed the distance between them and seemed ready to perform the _Kagemane no Jutsu_ on her. But she wasn't about to back down now. "Then by all means, Shikamaru, come along and help me complete the mission - the way _you've_ been trained to. For pity's sake, be reasonable about this!"

A funny look crossed Shikamaru's face. At first his annoyance seemed to increase, and then he heaved a great sigh, the fight instantly going out of him. "All right... you win."

Ino sighed too, feeling more irritated than pleased. It was not the victory she had wanted, but... it would have to do. "Okay then," she responded, impulsively running her hands over her outfit once more. "We've wasted a lot of time. Let's get started now."

"Yeah, _yeah_."

Her fingers faltering over her bust line, Ino glanced hesitantly over at Shikamaru, anxiously probing his face. Regardless of who had "won" the argument, there was something far more important she had to know. Everything would be meaningless otherwise.

"Shikamaru... don't you trust me?"

He frowned, and for a frightening moment Ino thought Shikamaru was about to say something cutting. Then the grumpiness lifted from his demeanor, and he looked at her seriously.

"Yeah, Ino... I do."

Ino's eyes softened. She moved up beside Shikamaru and slid her arm through his, and her heart skipped a beat when he didn't move away. Her excitement returned. This was going to work!

"Then let me handle this," she told him gently. "And no matter what happens... follow my lead, okay?"

"How troublesome," he muttered.


	3. Infiltration

_**Part Three - Infiltration**  
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Outside the inn, a thuggish man was leaning back against the wall as his eyes roamed over the roadway, covertly scanning the face of every passerby. Though on guard duty, he only had half a mind on his job and was wishing he could slip back inside for another drink when his attention was drawn to an approaching pair.

_Well, what do we have here?_

It was a couple... a _teen_ couple, plainly heading in his direction. The man beetled his brows curiously. While this inn attracted a wide assortment of clientele, it was not the kind of place that invited a younger crowd. But his misgivings began to fade once he got a better look. These two appeared to be a rougher sort after all. The girl (who he noticed first) was dressed very provocatively, and the way her long blonde hair flowed along her curvaceous body briefly caused his mind to wander far from any job related duty. As enticing as she was to leer at, however, the man couldn't forever ignore the boy she was clinging to. He was grudgingly spared a cursory inspection, which in the guard's view was enough to peg him as another stupid young punk trying to make a big impression. Unlike his companion, there was nothing much striking about his features apart from the hard-edged expression in his eyes, and he was soon abandoned in favor of his girlfriend.

The guard continued watching silently as the couple stopped just outside the inn's entrance, peering through the doorway at the room filled with diners. Though now largely unconcerned, he still kept an ear open as they began to talk.

"Come on, let's get a booth," said the girl first. She suddenly twisted and threw her arms about the boy's neck, causing him to stiffen in surprise. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

"_Eh_? There's a perfectly good table over there." The guard saw the punk gesture at a vacant one not far from the group of men that happened to include his boss, Gaijo. "Wouldn't that be all right?"

"But I want a booth. I think it would be much _better_," insisted the girl. She stood on tiptoe and drew in even closer, batting her lovely eyelashes flirtatiously up at her boyfriend. "Pretty please?"

The punk frowned, but his ears reddened slightly as she ran her finger playfully along his cheek. "_Fine_," he sighed heavily after a moment. "We'll sit wherever you want."

The girl responded with a radiant smile that quickly turned into a light kiss. Happily pulling away, she winked and then sexily swayed her way inside the inn. Her boyfriend looked disgruntled as he watched her enter, his fierce eyes betraying a mix of anxiety and longing. Observing this, the guard smirked to himself.

_Ha! He's whipped._

Suddenly a tremor raced through his blood, and the guard looked up to see the punk glaring coldly as if he knew exactly what the older man was thinking. But he abruptly broke contact and followed after his girlfriend, leaving the guard with a peculiar impression. There was something about those piercing eyes... hadn't he seen them somewhere before...?

... Like in a bingo book?

_Yeah right_. He quickly dismissed the thought, overly amused by the idea. It was obvious that the kid was just another average, cocky jerk who had somehow gotten luckier than he knew he had a right to and was typically overprotective of his hyper-sexed girlfriend. The lucky bastard.

Satisfied, the guard returned to watching the road.


	4. Diversions

_**Part Four - Diversions**_

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Shikamaru couldn't stop scowling.

He sat slouched down low with arms crossed tightly over his chest, fighting the urge to look back over his shoulder. Angry, perturbed thoughts were intruding on his customarily cool-headed thinking. It felt as if every eye had been turned on them as they walked through the door, and for a minute Shikamaru was certain that they'd blown their flimsy cover. But the simple (and annoying) truth was that everyone had been mesmerized by watching Ino confidently saunter her way towards her selected seat - hardly anyone had spared _him_ a glance. And afterwards they had immediately been forgotten once they'd slid into the booth, leaving Shikamaru to stew. It couldn't really have been that stupidly easy to infiltrate this place... could it?

He caught Ino flashing him a saucy grin. _Worked like a charm, huh?_

Shikamaru's mood did not improve. Never mind his own misgivings. Any small measure of success usually had the adverse effect of making Ino's natural overconfidence swell to even greater proportions, which in turn spurred her on to riskier behavior. In the end it spelled nothing but trouble for him. He eyed Ino warily while she took a moment to primp, feeling a quiet sense of dread building inside his gut.

_Blast it all, how did I ever let myself get talked into this?_

Sadly, Shikamaru already knew the reason why. The answer had left off fiddling with her hair and was now rubbing sinuously up against his side.

"You're too tense," murmured Ino as she glided her hands across the taut muscles of his arms and shoulders. When he failed to respond, she slid a hand down his torso and rubbed along his stomach. "Really, Shikamaru - you need to relax a bit more."

"Can't hardly help it, with my _back_ to the enemy," muttered Shikamaru sarcastically. He stole a peek down the opening of her blouse and then determinedly shut his eyes. _And your hand mere inches from my -_

Shikamaru abruptly sat up in his seat, prompting Ino to leave off her caresses. Observing his stiff posture, she bit back an impish grin. Oh, this was going to be _fun_. She couldn't help it; there was something intoxicating about strutting through the crowded room that had unleashed her libido. Though she knew every eye had been watching, she had only been aware of Shikamaru's burning gaze following her across the floor. Just knowing again how much he wanted her sent shivers of anticipation racing through her nerves. Feeling recklessly emboldened, Ino twisted her body sideways and leaned in until she was pressing her breasts firmly against Shikamaru's arm. He almost jumped at the contact.

"What's wrong?" she asked, too innocently. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes in warning.

"This isn't the place for that," he hissed with mounting frustration, all too aware of her familiar softness rubbing enticingly against his skin. He had to get her to stop - she never seemed to understand how hard it could be to control his body when she touched him like this. "Damn it, Ino, we're in _public_."

But she merely smiled coquettishly and proceeded to slowly draw her breasts along his arm. "It's okay; we're in a booth," Ino purred, grateful for the thinness of the fabric - she knew he could feel everything. "Besides... I _want_ you to be all hot and bothered right now." _And with an audience to boot_, she added silently, knowing better than to remind him of the fact.

Almost as if he had read her mind, Shikamaru suddenly went rigid like a statue. Ino arched her brows in surprise: she could feel his heart hammering madly in his chest. "_We-are-in-the-middle-of-a-mission_," he finally managed to choke out through gritted teeth.

Ino couldn't help giggling at the helpless expression on his face. For a genius, Shikamaru could still be so wonderfully clueless at times. "Silly boy, haven't you figured it out yet?" she whispered coyly up at him. "This _is_ part of the mission!"

And with that, Ino quickly slid over and into his lap. Before Shikamaru knew what was happening, her arms were wrapped around his neck and her hands were entwined in his hair. Then soft, warm lips molded themselves against his, and he felt the slow, sensual tug of her mouth working its irresistible magic on him.

_Oh hell_, thought Shikamaru desperately as two opposing facets of his psyche went to war. He had never wanted to be the type of idiot who listened to his little brain over his big one, yet the physical immediacy of Ino's body pressed to his was decisively overwhelming any rational objections. Feeling the last flimsy piece of resistance crumbling inside, Shikamaru cursed himself. He _was_ that kind of idiot.

Then he gave in.

Ino's eyes opened briefly as she felt Shikamaru's mouth yielding to hers before fluttering shut again. Soon his arms wound their way around her back and he began deepening the kiss. Within seconds her heartbeat rose to join his, and a victorious ecstasy filled Ino's heart. She gave herself up to the moment, reveling in the joy of once again being lost in their own private world.

But it wasn't long before reality encroached again.

The clinking of bottles alerted Ino to someone moving along the aisle, gradually approaching their table. Breaking the kiss, she brought her mouth around to his ear. "Here comes a waitress," she whispered quickly. "Order us some sake, okay?"

The slightly glazed look in Shikamaru's eyes instantly vanished. Ino felt his body automatically freezing up beneath her as he seemed to come to his senses. "_What?_"

_Uh-oh_, thought Ino, sensing that Shikamaru was about to revert back into his more coldly logical mode. She couldn't let that happen just yet. Seizing on the only thing she could think of, she started to nuzzle his ear. "_Please_," she whispered again. "We really need it."

"Ino...," Shikamaru began, but stopped almost immediately as his thoughts unexpectedly scattered. His eyes nearly rolled back in his head from the sensation of Ino gently sucking on an earlobe. Then she let go.

"Do it," Ino murmured, brushing her lips slowly over his temple. "You'll see why."

Succumbing to the inevitable, Shikamaru tried not to groan aloud as Ino returned to nibbling on his ear. It strongly put him in mind of things he could be doing with his own mouth, if only he had a private room and a nice, flat surface to lay her out on...

_Get a grip_, Shikamaru warned himself sternly before his body could overreact to the image. _You're on the job_, he added, though calling this 'work' was undoubtedly pushing things too far. Still, he had to admit that so far Ino's unconventional little plan was working, reckless as it was. But the request for sake was baffling - he knew she was too smart to do something like getting drunk in the middle of an operation. Was it just another 'prop' to add to their image? Yeah, that was probably it. He then wondered if the waitress would reject the request, pointing out that they were obviously underage... but a seedy establishment like this one probably didn't even care.

Shikamaru sighed as the waitress drew close._ This is turning into one hell of a mission._


	5. Ruse de Guerre

_**Part Five - Ruse de Guerre**_

* * *

Some time later a small flask of sake and two cups were placed on the table before Shikamaru and Ino, but neither acknowledged the arrival. They were instead wrapped up in such a passionate kiss that they had become temporarily oblivious to their surroundings. Their mouths, in fact, appeared to have fused together.

Jaded as she was, the waitress couldn't help cocking an eyebrow at the display. Then she cleared her throat.

"Would you two like a room to go with that?" she sneered. "We'll rent them by the hour... _cheap_."

Shikamaru hastily broke off to glare at the woman. Unimpressed, she merely shrugged and shuffled away, leaving him to sag back against the seat feeling chagrined. Ino, however, continued suckling on his neck uninterrupted, and before long Shikamaru pushed aside his discomfort to once more bask in the pleasurable feeling. Even if he was embarrassed by their behavior, he didn't want to stop. It was just getting too good.

Especially now that Ino had gone from sitting in his lap to straddling him.

He supposed he couldn't really blame the waitress for making crude comments. They probably looked incredibly tawdry. Though he had seen a few other cozy couples scattered about, they were all adult and none appeared to be kissing with quite the same fervor. Only he and Ino were acting like the two hormone-addled teenagers they were, shamelessly putting on a public display as if they wanted everyone in the room to watch.

And yet nobody seemed to care.

Strangely, it was the surreal anonymity that was allowing Shikamaru to go through with this. If Choji were present he'd never have agreed to it, no matter how Ino cajoled - some things, he believed, were best kept private. But Ino didn't agree with him there.

Remembering the argument in the woods, Shikamaru wished he could make her understand that the secrecy issue had nothing to do with shame. Good grief, how could she even _think_ that he would ever be ashamed of letting others know that he'd been given such a beautiful, sexy girlfriend? The need for secrecy was driven by the practical reason of avoiding the complications that would arise if certain parties discovered how intimate their relationship had become. But Shikamaru had a greater, more personal reason for wanting to maintain their privacy. It was to protect their special moments, particularly those when he was aroused and Ino's body responded wantonly to his every touch - that smoldering sexuality was meant for his eyes only. He wouldn't share her hidden fire with the rest of the world.

With this in mind, Shikamaru was doing his very best to make sure that a certain line wasn't about to be crossed. It was not easy, given the way Ino was clinging to him now. He was very aware of how little she was actually wearing, how close she was to spilling out all over him. Only the fact that there were others present kept him from slipping his hands in somewhere private. If something didn't happen soon...

Fortunately, Ino chose that moment to start whispering in his ear again. "_Heads up_."

With that, Shikamaru's mind abruptly snapped back into focus. "What do you see?" he murmured, sitting up straighter.

Though it appeared otherwise, Ino had been keeping watch on the room between kisses with Shikamaru. From her position astride him, she had a clear line of view to the back table where Gaijo was seated, and she had just spotted one of his henchmen signaling to another. The second man slowly got up from his table, and Ino's heart leapt - sitting next to him was their target. He was clearly about to be escorted to Gaijo's table. _Bingo!_

Still, Ino couldn't help feeling some dismay. It meant that her fun was over. But that was the price one paid as a ninja. Now it was time to get serious.

"I believe our target is about to make his introductions." Ino swiftly buried her face against his neck and began whispering furiously. "Listen, Shikamaru. Do everything I tell you to do now. When I start making out with you again, you're going to be doing something behind my back. Make sure I can't see it, okay?"

If her instructions seemed odd to Shikamaru, he didn't show it. Instead he answered by giving her lower back a light squeeze. Ino bit back a smile. Maybe the fun wasn't entirely over yet.

"All right. I'm going to pour out the sake now. Keep your eyes on my cup."

Ino pulled back suddenly and let out a silly, air-headed giggle that drew the attention of a few nearby diners. Shikamaru kept himself from frowning - the laugh fit the image, but it didn't suit her at all. He watched as she twisted around and made a show of filling both cups, and then downing hers in a single gulp.

"Sake is soooo nice," she drawled out loudly, ending with another annoying giggle. "It makes me all _warm_ inside."

"Would you like some more?" asked Shikamaru on impulse, supposing he should pretend to be eager to ply her with drinks.

He was rewarded by a delighted smile. "Sure! But before _that_..."

Ino suddenly slid her tongue into his mouth and kissed him heatedly. Shikamaru was amused to discover that she now tasted like sake. He supposed it wasn't too bad, but her flavor was much better naked.

_Much_ better.

Before Shikamaru could get too carried away by that thought, Ino broke the kiss again and came up to nibble on his ear.

"Very smooth," she whispered approvingly. "Now for step two. Slip your hand inside my blouse, into the front of my bra. There's something inside we need."

But instead of complying, Shikamaru immediately tensed. Ino realized something was wrong. "Hey - what's the matter?"

Now it was Shikamaru who buried his face in her neck. "It's just... you know I love touching you, Ino. But I don't want to grope you like that here in front of other people." His grip on her tightened protectively. "Mission or not, it's no one's damn business how I touch you."

Ino felt a warm tremor that had nothing to do with the sake blossom inside her belly. Momentarily setting aside the mission, she reached out to tenderly cup his chin, and dropped a chaste kiss on his lips. "All right, Shikamaru. I'll get it."

He soon felt her expertly slip the folded paper into his hand. "Now hurry and pour that into my cup," whispered Ino as she returned to nuzzling him. "Don't be too obvious but don't be too subtle about it."

Doing as he was directed, Shikamaru unfolded the paper. Then, while engaging Ino in another heated lip-lock, he casually stretched out and tipped the powdery contents into the second cup.

"It's done," he murmured quietly.

"Okay... now give it to me to drink."

Shikamaru frowned sharply in spite of himself, but nonetheless did as he was told. Ino burst out with another loud round of obnoxious tittering as she took the cup from him, again making a point to down it one shot. Shikamaru grimaced as he watched the performance. He silently thanked his lucky stars that she really wasn't _that_ kind of annoying girl.

But had she really slipped herself a drug?

_Not bloody likely_. Shikamaru began to mull, putting two and two together. The showy make-out, the sake, and the mysterious powder - it was clear they were all parts of an elaborate deception. Which once combined meant that in the _end_...

Belated alarm bells went off. Then before he could think to say anything, Ino was once more back to pressing her body fully up against his. Shikamaru could feel her positioning her hands behind his head, framing them in an all-too-familiar gesture. She began whispering again.

"Target locked - time for the grande finale."

"Oy, Ino, this plan of yours -!" he whispered back frantically.

"- has been completed. The rest is up to _you_ now." Ino swiftly caught his mouth in hers and drew out one last, languorous kiss. As she pulled away, Shikamaru saw her winking mischievously. "So don't forget I'm counting on you to play it right!"

Then before he could protest any further, he heard the familiar entreaty being whispered softly next to his ear:

"Take care of my body, Shikamaru. _Shintenshin no Jutsu!_"

And she was gone.

Shikamaru's arms tightened reflexively as Ino's body went limp. He sighed in defeat, and then carefully rolled her off and onto the seat beside him. There he studied her face for a few moments, feeling equally impressed and annoyed by her chutzpah. He had to admit she'd been right in the end - her part of the plan had worked like a charm. As for the rest of it...

Shikamaru glanced between the doctored sake and Ino's unconscious form. He cringed at how this all looked, but he knew that this too had been part of the plan all along. He just had to play his role in it out... _curse_ the girl.

_Nothing else for it._ Slinging an arm possessively around Ino, Shikamaru took a fortifying gulp of sake straight from the flask. Then he gestured for the waitress.

"Excuse me... how much did you say those rooms were?"


	6. A Private Debriefing

_Author's Note: Caution, gentle readers. Lemony scene ahoy._

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Part Six - A Private Debriefing**_

* * *

"One hour. After that, I don't care if you're finished with her or not - you clear yourselves out or else. Got that?"

"Yeah, yeah."

The door swung shut with a creaking thunk. Shikamaru stood still, patiently listening to the trudging footsteps moving away down the corridor. When they had completely faded, he crossed the floor to the bed and laid Ino's unmoving form upon it. Then he immediately returned to the door to bolt the lock, and followed that with an intense inspection of the room. Several minutes passed until Shikamaru was reasonably satisfied that they were secure, which caused him to smirk in wry amusement - these people truly didn't suspect them of being anything more than two foolhardy teens.

Their mistake.

Shikamaru turned his attention back to Ino. She was as yet lying supine on the bed under the effects of the _jutsu_, her face radiantly serene within its halo of blonde hair. An aching need began to build inside Shikamaru as he watched her. How many times had he seen Ino like this, particularly after a glorious afternoon spent rolling on a blanket with her...?

He came to sit on the mattress besides her.

Another minute passed as Shikamaru silently gazed down at Ino, observing the steady rise and fall of her chest, until he reached out his hand. Sure fingers drew themselves along her cheek, lingering over her lips in a feather-light caress, and then continued to move over her chin. Shikamaru could feel his hunger growing more insistent, as he slowly traced a line down her chest into the valley between her straining breasts, pausing just at the zipper. One good tug and they would finally be released to him...

Pulling back his hand, Shikamaru groaned.

_Hurry back, Ino. It's no good when you're not around._

With a determined grunt, Shikamaru quickly rolled onto his side and scooted next to Ino, his manner more perfunctory than before. Propping himself up against the headboard, he pulled Ino back against his chest and then lightly rested his hand against her temple. _That's more like it_, he congratulated himself. He was back in mission mode with Ino, protecting her body just the way he'd been disciplined to for so many years. Now all he had to do was wait.

And try not to think about all the other things he wanted to do to her...

_Easier said than done_, thought Shikamaru sourly. It helped, though, that he was still a bit annoyed with himself for having been caught off guard by Ino's simple ruse; he certainly would have spotted it right away if he hadn't been so inflamed by his lust for her. It was unfair, really, how easily Ino could have him at her mercy. Sometimes it seemed that all she had to do was move in a certain way, and all his higher instincts were undone as he became mesmerized by how her whole body seemed to be offering itself to him. He had no desire to resist her then.

But it wasn't fair of Ino to take advantage of his weakness... or at least, not without his foreknowledge, under the circumstances. Fun and games aside, they were in the middle of a mission, and Shikamaru wasn't pleased at Ino taking him so lightly by not filling him in on her entire plan. That was unnecessarily risky and even potentially dangerous. True, he had to admit that she had given everything more thought than appearances might suggest. Each part had gone smoothly, even the last step when, as predicted, no one had stopped him from carrying her "drugged" body upstairs. Some in fact had given him knowing winks as he passed (the bastards). Nevertheless, he wanted her to understand that she couldn't play on his feelings for her, even for the sake of a job.

An idea suddenly struck Shikamaru, and he broke into a wolfish smirk as his eyes travelled hungrily down the length of her body. Oh, doubtless Ino wouldn't be happy, but it _would_ get the point across...

And he'd have fun doing it besides.

* * *

Ino sighed as she sensed the familiar rush of spiritual pressure flowing throughout her body. Before she was fully roused, however, she felt her mouth being swallowed in a deep, fiery kiss that stole her breath away. She gasped when it broke.

"Welcome back," murmured a husky voice.

"_Mmmm_... that's the nicest greeting you've ever given me."

Shikamaru gave a low chuckle. "This is special."

Ino smiled as a warm, sensual feeling heated her blood in response to his tone. "In that case, let me return the favor," she purred. She began to raise her arms (which were strangely stretched out past her head) in order to throw them around his neck - but the action was abruptly arrested.

Startled, Ino opened her eyes fully and saw Shikamaru sitting on the mattress besides her, wearing a peculiar grin. His eyes held a burning glow that sent an alarmed shiver down her spine. She'd seen that look many times before, especially when she was completely...

Ino gasped again, this time with shocked suspicion. Arching her back, she spied that her hands were tied to the headboard. Thinking to bend into a position to untie herself, she next tried lifting her legs and experienced identical resistance. Desperate, she lifted her head to look down her torso - and then her eyes went alarmingly wide.

"Oh my... _where are all my clothes_?" squeaked Ino. She shot him a furious glare.

"Missing something?" Shikamaru asked innocently. Then he tilted his head and gave her an appreciative once-over. "Mind you, _I'm_ not."

In spite of herself, Ino blushed furiously and attempted to twist away from him. Even if he'd seen her naked many times before, it was still different when she was so plainly vulnerable before him. "Shikamaru, you _dirty_ -!"

He smirked unrepentantly. "Scream all you want. Thanks to your scheme, they all think I'm up here violating you anyway." _The bastards_, added Shikamaru silently. "Shrieking will just add to our cover."

Ino bit back a curse and began to struggle, hoping to loosen the binds. After several minutes spent writhing futilely beneath Shikamaru's amused gaze, she finally gave up. "All right, you jerk. If you don't untie me now, you're going to regret it!" she threatened, her lips pressed into an angry pout. "And why are you doing this to me anyway?"

But instead of the expected answer, Shikamaru chuckled darkly. Then he reached down and coolly slid his hand between her legs. Keeping his eyes fixed on hers, he began to move his fingers in practiced ease until Ino's lips parted in a silent "O" of startled pleasure. She fell back against the mattress, her hips moving in a slow grind against his hand. It was a wonderful, maddening kind of agony, feeling his touch without being able to return it. Within minutes the tender sexual ache grew into smoldering burn, and Ino almost cried aloud when he abruptly stopped his ministrations.

"_Please_ Shikamaru," she begged, blinking at him through heavy-lidded eyes. "Don't torture me like this."

She saw that his smile had grown serious, and watched helplessly as he teased his fingers along her inner thigh. "Just a reminder to be gentle whenever I'm at your mercy, Ino... because inevitably there are times when you'll be at _mine_."

Ino swallowed, unconsciously straining her pelvis towards his resting hand. So Shikamaru was upset about the scene downstairs... well, she had known he would be. "You wouldn't have gone along with me had I told you everything from the start," she moaned in her defense.

"I might have, if I'd known the whole reason for it," said Shikamaru quietly, reaching for her again. He had thought about that one a lot, surprised to discover that it was true. "I did in the end."

"But you don't like public displays of affection," contradicted Ino, who shuddered as Shikamaru began to toy with the fine curlicues of hair covering her. "No matter how small they are," she managed to add, but a bit more sulkily.

Shikamaru stopped his teasing. Ino watched with bated breath as he leaned in closer, looking at her seriously. "You know I'm private guy, Ino. But I could bend on that... if you could agree on keeping certain types of displays just between you and me. And promising not to let our personal relationship stray inappropriately into our professional one - a mission's still a mission. Deal?"

Forgetting that she was still tied up, Ino tried to sit up and was immediately jerked back against the mattress. But she didn't care. "Do you really mean that?" she asked excitedly, staring at Shikamaru as if she hardly dared to believe him. "So you won't freak out if we hold hands in public? Or hug me? Or if I kiss you in front of Choji?"

Thinking about what the expression on his best friend's face would likely be, Shikamaru winced. He would be teased mercilessly. Then again, he suspected that Choji already knew about them anyway and was just as likely to say, "What took you so long?" And aside from the friendly ribbing, it would be kind of nice to have a trusted pal he could brag about his sexy girlfriend to...

Shikamaru smirked. "Yeah, Ino. That'll be fine."

Ino curled back against the mattress, a dreamy smile on her face. _This_ was what she had secretly wishing for, for what had seemed like ages (minus being tied up, of course.) At last everyone would know that Shikamaru was her boyfriend - her brainy, dangerous, _sexy_ boyfriend, whom she couldn't help falling more in love with day by day. She could hardly wait to start bragging about him to Sakura. In fact, they had to get back to Konoha as soon as possible, and that meant wrapping up this Gaijo business posthaste. Life could start moving forward again, once this was out of the way...

"Listen, Shikamaru. While I was listening in on the meeting, I over- _mmph_?"

Shikamaru withdrew the fingers he had pressed to her mouth, and Ino gave him a puzzled look. "Er... don't you want to hear what they were talking about?"

"In a minute. We've got other business to take care of first."

Before Ino knew what was happening, Shikamaru reached down and pried her legs apart. Her heart began to beat faster as she watched him positioning himself, then it jumped wildly as he slipped his fingers inside and bent down low over her.

"_Business_?" Ino's cheeks flushed as her body resumed its grind beneath his intimate caress. "Weren't you the one insisting just now that we should keep our relationship from interfering with the mission?"

But Shikamaru only paused briefly on his downward decent to flash her a cheeky grin.

"Silly girl, haven't you figured it out? This _is_ part of the mission."

**_~ The End ~_**

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Author's Ending Note**_: _As usual, thanks to all who read and reviewed this silly little story._


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